


Arrhythmic

by AideStar



Series: Linked Universe Fics [25]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: AFib, Angst, Anxiety, Hurt/Comfort, Hyrule needs a hug, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Whump, heart problems, just mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-13
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26449207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AideStar/pseuds/AideStar
Summary: They weren’t walking fast, just one foot in front of the other in a line, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet Hyrule’s heart was racing as if they were in the heat of battle. He took deep, steadying breaths as the morning wore on, the only thing he knew to try and calm himself. But he was calm, relatively speaking, and the longer his heart hammered away the dizzier and colder he felt.---Hyrule pushes himself too hard and his heart isn't having it.
Relationships: Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Time (Linked Universe)
Series: Linked Universe Fics [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758937
Comments: 42
Kudos: 203





	Arrhythmic

**Author's Note:**

> A friend on the Discord asked me to post this little drabble I wrote, so I am! I have episodes like this and ended up writing this to vent, so it's 90% personal experience and 10% a tiny bit of research on more severe AFib symptoms. Don't expect medical accuracy haha! Poor Hyrule.. he seemed the best boy to choose, but I've written a lot of little angst drabbles for him recently 0-0 also I hate titling things asdfjasjdflajsdfl so rip this fic I guess x-x
> 
> If you enjoyed, please leave a comment and kudos, they make my day!! I'm working on a longfic right now and will be for a while (it's going to be *long*) so I'll mostly be posting drabbles and shorter fics here for now!

They all dealt with stress in different ways. Some could manage it better than others, taking each battle in stride, hiding nightmares under the guise of stargazing, staying silent in the face of insurmountable danger. Others didn’t handle stress nearly as well, but that was to be expected. Not all of them were hardened by time, numb to their experiences. Some of them were still kids even, and while Hyrule wouldn’t consider himself a child, he certainly wasn’t equipped like Legend was to handle such new experiences.

Hyrule didn’t have it that bad, not like some of them. He didn’t space out like Wild for hours at a time, losing time as memories flooded back. He didn’t often have nightmares that woke him in the night like Time and Legend, leaving them haunted and tired the following day. He didn’t sleep to escape his problems or keep others at arm's length like Sky and Warriors did, and he didn’t mutter to himself like Four. And while Wind would talk his fears away and Twilight would disappear to let off steam, Hyrule found he didn’t have such methods to cope. He’d never traveled with a group, and it wasn’t as if he was stressed enough to bother the others with his problems. So, Hyrule kept quiet, until his stress built to the point where he couldn’t ignore it any longer.

\---

The symptoms had started innocently enough.

He’d wake up disoriented from dreams he couldn’t remember, find his footing less sure through the day, head in the clouds but thinking of nothing. After a while however, he would wake in a cold sweat with his heart racing, dizzy spells hitting him as he walked in line, ears filling with static and vision unfocusing periodically.

It wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle, nothing he wasn’t used to. On his first adventure it had been panic that got to him, on his second paranoia. These physical symptoms of stress were nothing compared to the mental toil he’d been through in the past.

But the stress didn’t dissipate on this adventure. Traveling frequently, never staying in one place, never feeling _safe_. It took a toll, and Hyrule found his uncomfortable symptoms growing worse and worse.

When Hyrule woke up that morning it was to clinging tiredness and a tightness in his chest. There wasn’t much use in worrying about it, but as the group set off for the day he found his heart beginning to race. They weren’t walking fast, just one foot in front of the other in a line, nothing out of the ordinary. Yet Hyrule’s heart was racing as if they were in the heat of battle. He took deep, steadying breaths as the morning wore on, the only thing he knew to try and calm himself. But he was calm, relatively speaking, and the longer his heart hammered away the dizzier and colder he felt.

Hyrule focused his eyes on the ground, blinking blurriness from his vision as a sharp ache knotted between his shoulders. There was no need to panic, everything was fine! Just put one foot in front of the other and breathe in and out and don’t panic, don’t--

His heart skipped, just once, the sensation hollow beneath his ribs where the thundering beat had just been. Hyrule felt his breath catch, but just as quickly his heart picked back up again, his head spinning, and after a few deep breaths he wondered if he had imagined it.

“Hey, ‘Rule, how’s it going?” Legend’s casual drawl broke him from his mounting panic, the arm draped across his shoulders grounding.

Hyrule’s gaze flicked up, finding curious blue eyes on him. Belatedly, he realized he’d been fisting his hand over his chest and he slowly unclenched his stiff fingers. “‘m good, how’re you?”

Legend’s gaze became sharper. Hyrule felt out of breath from the simple greeting, even more from the weight of Legend’s eyes, and he quickly turned away.

“You sure? You’re looking a bit pale,” Legend continued, and Hyrule tried not to falter as his heart stuttered once more.

His hands were shaking, ice cold, and Hyrule struggled to keep his breathing even as his head swam. It felt like a panic attack, but he knew it wasn’t, he knew the ache in his chest and the skipping of his heart had nothing to do with anxiety. But he couldn’t say anything, he couldn’t let anyone know he was a liability, Hyrule was sure if he just waited it out a few more days he’d be fine! “Never been better,” Hyrule huffed, and it took all the air in his lungs to whisper those three unconvincing words. Legend’s hold on his shoulders tightened and Hyrule was sure he would be in for an interrogation now, but he could handle it. All he had to do was deny, and then--

His heart caught mid-beat, crashing to a halt, and Hyrule stumbled as dizziness rocked through him. The roar of static in his ears and the sudden press of rocks into his knees was all Hyrule could feel beyond the consuming panic as his heart remained still. His hand was fisted over his chest again, doubled over his knees, Legend’s voice muffled to his ears. He couldn’t _breathe_ , the vice in his chest crushing everything down, still and quiet. His vision was filling with black, and distantly, Hyrule wondered if he was going to die, struck down by his own unruly heart.

It must have been seconds at most before a heavy thud announced his pulse returning, but with its thready beat came no relief. Hyrule sucked in frantic breaths, lightheaded and stuck half between waking and dreaming. The sensation of Legend’s hands on his shoulders returned first, then the sharp pain in his back, and finally the static in his ears abated to let in his mentor’s frantic words.

“Hyrule, come on, give me a sign you can hear me,” Legend was pleading, and Hyrule had never heard him so upset. He didn’t have the energy to move, didn’t have the breath to speak, but Hyrule reached up one shaking hand and tapped Legend’s, twice. His mentor’s grip relaxed with a sigh, and Hyrule felt another hand come to rest on his back.

“What’s wrong?” Time’s voice was steady as always, but the grim undertone reminded Hyrule of times after harsh battles, supplies low and rain incoming. This was not one of those times, and Hyrule felt guilt well up in him at having caused such concern.

“I’m not sure, he was swaying on his feet a bit so I came to check on him and his breathing was a bit off, but nothing else that I could see.” Legend’s worried voice washed over Hyrule as hands rubbed circles into his tensed shoulders.

“Hyrule, are you in pain?” Time asked, and Hyrule sucked in a shaking breath as he nodded. “Where is it? Your head, your back..?”

Hyrule’s chest tightened and his heart skipped once more, enough that he felt on the verge of passing out. He quickly tapped his chest, hoping someone would see despite the way he curled over himself, and the surprised hum from Time was no small relief.

“Alright, let’s give him some space. Hyrule, I need you to focus on breathing deeply, okay?” Time was in leader mode now, and Hyrule didn’t think he could disobey that tone if he wanted to.

He’d been trying to steady his breathing all day, but now that he was sitting, the need to _just keep moving_ lessened. Hyrule concentrated on taking deep, even breaths, tuning out the worrying race of his heart. He focused on the feeling of Legend’s hand on his shoulder and smoothing through his hair, the hushed tones of Time speaking with someone by his side, the sounds of nature from the woods around them. Slowly, his breathing evened, and his heartbeat began to calm bit by bit. It was still far too fast when he found the strength to straighten up, but the ache in his ribs and back was lessening too, and Hyrule felt warmth returning to his hands. The minute he was upright, Legend thrust a waterskin into his hands, the steel in his gaze leaving no room for argument. Hyrule took slow sips as he finally relaxed, feeling his ears heat as he noticed the eyes of his friends on him.

“Feeling better?” Time asked, crouching down beside him on the path.

Hyrule was exhausted, but his pulse was much steadier now, and the pain was all but gone. He nodded, still not up for words, and Time offered a small smile in return. “Has anything like this ever happened before?”

Hyrule shook his head.

Time sighed. “When was the last time you drank water, before just now?”

Hyrule tilted his head, frowning. Not that long ago, it couldn’t have been… Maybe a day or two? Not a week, surely, though… Eventually Hyrule shrugged, earning him a frightening glare from Legend.

“And when was the last time you had a good night’s sleep?” Time asked tiredly, as if he already knew.

Hyrule did know the answer to this question, though he dreaded the response he knew he’d receive. Slowly, he brought his hands up to sign.

‘Not since the adventure began.’ Hyrule signed guiltily, and Legend’s ensuing stream of curses had him wincing away.

“The heart can’t handle that kind of stress,” Time sighed, shooting Legend a glare. “If you don’t take proper care of yourself this will only happen again--”

“You could have died!” Legend threw his hands up, and the rest of the group grew quiet.

Hyrule felt the blood drain from his face, heart picking up again, but Time quickly placed a hand on his shoulder to grab his attention.

“You’re not going to die, Hyrule.” Time stated, a fact. “You just have to sleep and drink more water, alright? Think you can do that?”

Hyrule nodded quickly, blinking back tears, and Time smiled gratefully.

The following days were tense, but Hyrule slowly began to feel better. His heart would stutter on him occasionally, pulse speeding up, but his panic over it ebbed away as he learned how to cope. They all dealt with stress, and the symptoms of Hyrule’s were hardly out of the ordinary compared to his companions’. The difference now was he had support; Legend’s casual reminders, Time’s watchful gaze, and the comfort of safety in numbers. The adventure would continue, the stress wouldn’t just leave, but Hyrule found his heart calming as realized--he didn’t have to face it alone.


End file.
